Playing With The Devil
by Ansela Jonla
Summary: Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. A possible lead to Kurotsuchi is found and more plots are made.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Playing With The Devil, chapter 1  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG-13 for this chapter, NC-17 overall  
**Warnings:** language, abuse  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen.  
**Word Count:** 1656  
**Notes:** I don't like writing Mayuri. It's hard for me to do it without bashing him. Hopefully I managed to avoid doing that in this fic. Beta'd by **agenttrojie**.

**0o0**

"Nemu! Nemu! Come here, you worthless whore, and hurry up about it!" Mayuri yelled, slamming his fist down onto his desk.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama," came the reply. A few seconds later Nemu came running into the file-filled office. Mayuri promptly backhanded her across the face, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Is there something malfunctioning with your hearing, Nemu? I shouldn't have had to call your name twice."

"I'm sorry, Mayuri-sama. I was retrieving a preliminary report from Tenth Seat Koschei, and was listening to-"

"Excuses, excuses. Next time you answer me immediately, no matter what else you're doing. What did I call you for?" Mayuri shuffled through the files on his desk, pulling out a thick folder with notes sticking out at all angles from it. "Ah, yes. This. It seems that Kurosaki Ichigo is a Vizard, Nemu. You know what that means, you pathetic cretin?"

"He is a Shinigami who has illegally obtained the powers of a Hollow. The existence of such hybrids, the antithesis to the Arrancar, is known to Soul Society but no specimen has ever been studied in-depth." Nemu recited, as if from memory. "Your orders, Mayuri-sama?"

"Go down to the living world and capture Kurosaki Ichigo. Make sure not to leave any possible way that it could be traced back to me. Do not let your worthless self be seen, especially by that Quincy or the woman who was with him that time. Understood, Nemu?"

"Capture Kurosaki Ichigo without anyone realising that you are responsible," Nemu repeated in a monotone voice. "May I have the use of my zanpakutou for this mission?"

"No, you stupid girl. If you use a zanpakutou then everyone who can sense reiatsu will know you're there. For that reason I will not be removing your limit before you go either." Mayuri cocked his head and regarded Nemu coldly. "Maybe I _should_ take you apart, in case there is something wrong with your brain, you mindless buffoon."

"I apologise, Mayuri-sama. I was simply thinking of the target's strength in relation to my own."

"Nemu, you will avoid a head on conflict with Kurosaki Ichigo, or any of his friends. You would lose, even with your zanpakutou," Mayuri scoffed. "Why I created such a weak underling I have no idea, but you have your uses." Mayuri glanced up from the file he was studying. "Why are you still here? Go! You may take whatever you think you'll need from lab sixteen."

"Yes, Mayuri-sama." Nemu bowed and left the room. She would return with Kurosaki Ichigo, that he was certain, or she wouldn't return at all. She knew better than to fail him at least.

**0o0**

"What do you mean you _lost_ Ichigo?" Hiyori yelled, glaring across the table at Urahara. Shinji's hand descended on her head, pinning her down so she couldn't lunge at Urahara before the former Captain could explain himself. "How could you lose that dickhead? It's not like he can hide that monstrous reiatsu of his."

"His reiatsu vanished two nights ago. I simply assumed that he'd returned to you to complete his training." Urahara sighed and looked at the two Vizard from under the brim of his hat. "I didn't think anything of it until your call this morning, Shinji?"

"And? You wouldn't have called us here if you didn't have some idea what was happening, Kisuke?" Shinji frowned, draining his tea in a single cup. "How bad is it?"

"It took me a while, but I found a trace of reiatsu at Ichigo's home, one that didn't belong to anyone who would have a reason to be in there. Cross-referencing it with the data I have available to me, I identified who it belonged to: Kurotsuchi Nemu, Twelfth Division's Lieutenant."

"Kurotsuchi? What relation is this guy to that creep you took out the Maggot's Nest?"

"Biologically and officially, she's his daughter. In actual fact, she's an artificial soul permanently bonded to a gigai created from Mayuri's genetic material."

"You mean that Kurosaki Ichigo has been kidnapped by your successor then? Someone who was put into the Maggot's Nest because of his unethical treatment of captured Quincy?" Shinji asked.

Urahara nodded, causing Hiyori to explode into a torrent of curses. She slipped from under Shinji's lax grip and lunged across the table, grabbing Urahara by the collar of his haori and dragging him down to her level. "_Why_ are you being so _calm_ about this, dickhead? You _know_ what that _bastard_ is capable of!"

Shinji captured the smaller Vizard by her hair as she brought her head back to headbutt Urahara in the face, and dragged her back to their side of the table. Ignoring her glare, which could have killed weaker Hollows at that point, he sighed. "You already have a plan, don't you? Do I need to remind you that we were barred from entering Soul Society the same way you were?"

"I've respected that restriction for as long as I have simply because I've had no need to return there," Urahara said, his voice low and deadly. "Mayuri is about to find out why he could never have legitimately replaced me, why Sousuke feared me so much that he had to frame me to get me out of his way."

"If this involves infiltrating or destroying Twelfth Division, I'm in." Hiyori grinned, an unholy look of glee on her face as she imagined the chaos she could cause. "I know that place better than you do, due to being there before you, dickhead."

"That's fine by me. This can only work if it's a stealth mission though. Anything else will have you facing far too much resistance from the Gotei Thirteen. Shinji, you might want to choose someone to accompany Hiyori to Soul Society. I'll have a way around the banishment ready in two days." Urahara stood up, Benihime in hand as he smirked confidently at the two Vizard. "Mayuri, and anyone who supports him, won't know what hit them soon enough."

**0o0**

Kensei bit back a curse as Hiyori signalled a halt, not wanting to linger in Seireitei for too long. Even with Kisuke's concealing cloaks there was still the possibility of being found, and Kensei didn't want to even think about what would happen if the drugs still in Kurosaki's system wore off before they got him to a safe place.

"Dickheads must have changed the patrol patterns. There's someone on the gate now," Hiyori hissed, peering over the ridge of the roof. Kensei risked setting Kurosaki down long enough to crawl up next to her and assess the situation for himself.

Ten Shinigami stood around the gate, all armed with zanpakutou and seemingly alert for any danger. If it wasn't for the general lack of alarm, Kensei would assume that their retrieval of Kurosaki had been noticed and these guards set to intercept them as they escaped. No, this was just an unfortunately timed patrol, and an unluckily alert one at that. Whichever officer was in charge of them obviously knew how to keep his, or her, men focused on their jobs.

"Stay with Kurosaki, Hiyori. I'll handle this." Kensei didn't wait for his partner's consent, instead slipping over the top of the roof and onto the dark street below. Ten Shinigami, all of them seemingly unseated, wouldn't take very long to defeat, but Hiyori's way of handling things was too loud and likely to draw attention to their presence. Better that he be the one to handle these guards.

It took Kensei only a few seconds to leave the Shinigami lying on the floor, unconscious and bloodied but alive. Hiyori was next to him even before the last one hit the ground, Kurosaki draped awkwardly over her shoulder, stick-thin limbs dangling limply and brushing against the ground. Kensei moved to take him from her, when a gasp made him stop in his tracks and squint into the darkness under the gate.

"What... Kurosaki-kun?" A young-looking Shinigami, one that looked vaguely familiar to Kensei, stepped out of the shadows, hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou. "State your business, ryoka, and while you're at it you can explain how Kurosaki-kun came to be in your custody and that state."

"We don't have time for this, baldie. Let us through and we won't smash you," Hiyori snapped. The Shinigami scowled at the two Vizard, pushing his hair back from his face with a delicate flick of his wrist, before taking a ready stance.

"I think you need an eye-test, nee-chan, if you think I'm the bald one," the Shinigami stated. Despite speaking to Hiyori it was Kensei he watched, side-stepping away from Hiyori and Kurosaki. Kensei matched him, hoping that the Shinigami was doing so to keep the other two out of the fight that he was looking for.

"We're helping Kurosaki, rescuing him," Kensei said. The Shinigami nodded, purple eyes narrowing in understanding as he glanced back at Kurosaki and the needles and tubes that still stuck out from all over the young Vizard's body. "Though you still won't let us pass without a fight, will you?"

"I wouldn't be able to look Zaraki-taichou and Ikkaku in the eye if I just allowed you to leave." The Shinigami held his zanpakutou across his chest, parallel to the ground, a wicked smile on his face. "Sake, Fuji Kujaku."

Kensei sighed. That level of reiatsu usage, an impressive amount for someone who he could have sworn stated his rank as Fifth that time in the Fake Karakura, would have patrols down on them in minutes. He didn't have time to mess around, and he signalled Hiyori to take Kurosaki through the gate and to the rendezvous point alone. He would have to finish this quickly and catch up to them. Drawing his own zanpakutou, which he'd sealed for stealth purposes at the start of the mission, he smirked at the Shinigami.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to stand in my way. Futtobase, Tachikaze."


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Playing With The Devil Chapter 2  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** NC-17, for safety  
**Warnings:** torture  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. Yumichika's recuperation in the aid station is interrupted by an unwanted visitor.  
**Word Count:** 1815  
**Notes:** Sorry, Yumichika. Beta'd by **cassie5squared**.

**0o0**

Ikkaku strode through the rubble of the buildings surrounding the gate, kicking rocks out of his way as he surveyed the mess that had been made. It was hard to believe that so much destruction could have happened in the small amount of time that this guy, whoever he was, took to defeat Yumichika. Shinigami raced in every direction, Eleventh Division members straining to lift pieces of building off of injured comrades so Fourth Division medics could pull them out to safety. One of the medics, the commander of one of the relief squads if Ikkaku remembered correctly, looked up as he approached and smiled weakly at him.

"There are no fa-"

"Madarame-sanseki, we found him!" someone called, from the wreckage furthest away from the gate. Ikkaku grinned and grabbed the smaller Shinigami by the arm, shunpoing them both over to the source of the cry. Trust Yumichika to be in the last place anybody looked.

Yumichika was sprawled over a rock, one arm under his body and the other bent at an angle that Ikkaku didn't think was quite possible without something being broken. His legs were pinned by a beam, and one ankle was also pierced by a large, spear-like splinter. Blood pooled under his head, still gleaming wetly in the swinging lanterns of the search teams. Ikkaku found it slightly amusing that, even with all the other injuries his friend sported, his face was still completely unmarked. Shaking his head, and spotting Yumichika's zanpakutou lying several feet away as he did so, Ikkaku carefully slid the sheath from Yumichika's obi. He'd never hear the end of it if he allowed someone else to handle Fuji Kujaku, especially since the spirit's views on beauty were apparently even more elitist than its partner's.

This intruder had to have been strong, at least as strong as Ichigo, Ikkaku realised. The rest of Yumichika's squad hadn't even drawn their zanpakutou, and their only injuries had come from the destruction caused by Yumichika's opponent. That Yumichika was still alive meant that the enemy was in a hurry to escape and didn't have time to finish the job... or had let him live for some reason.

Seeing that Yumichika had been loaded carefully onto a stretcher, bandages wrapped around his head and the splinter in his ankle, Ikkaku moved to follow the relief team back to the aid station. Yumichika was the only one likely to know what happened at the gate, despite what the tech-geeks of Twelfth claimed about their fancy gizmos, and the only way to find out what he knew was to wait for him to wake up and ask him about it. Sometimes the best solutions were the simplest, after all.

**0o0**

"Wake up!" someone snapped harshly. Yumichika felt like he should recognise the voice, but the painkillers administered by Fourth Division still fogged his brain somewhat. "I told you to wake up, you incompetent fool!"

Something flooded through Yumichika then, sharp and burning in his veins, chasing away the clouds in his mind and leaving him starkly aware of his surroundings. Kurotsuchi leaned over him, his hands still closed around a monstrously large needle embedded in Yumichika's arm, a psychotic leer on his face. Something inside Yumichika shrank away from that look and its inherent wrongness, hiding from the promise of merciless and pointless pain that it held.

"Finally. First you fail to stop those _thieves_ from taking a very _important_ experiment from my labs, then you disobey me when I order you to wake up. I don't know what Zaraki expects from his men, but obedience obviously isn't one of the most prized qualities."

"Kurotsuchi-taichou," Yumichika muttered, wondering who'd let the sadistic Captain loose in Fourth Division again. "What do you want?"

"Answers, Ayasegawa. Who was it that stole from my lab and where did they go?"

Yumichika closed his eyes and looked away. He'd hoped Kurotsuchi wouldn't slip past Unohana for this exact reason. He was the officer in charge of the squad guarding that gate, and the only one to put up any kind of fight. Of course Kurotsuchi would want to question him about the intruders. He'd tried the same thing with Ikkaku after all, the first time Ichigo was the cause of trouble. Too bad for Kurotsuchi that he'd seen what exactly this 'important experiment' was.

"I don't know. Nothing was said to me and I saw nothing of them."

"Don't lie. Reiatsu traces and marks on the debris prove that you fought them. What did you learn?"

"Nothing, Kurotsuchi-taichou?"

Kurotsuchi's fingers tapped impatiently against Yumichika's bed, the long nail of his index finger brushing against Yumichika's arm with every move. With a nasty smirk, a look that didn't bode well for Yumichika's continued health, he slowly used that nail to draw back the covers from the Fifth Seat's body.

"I know you know something, Ayasegawa. Your _friend_ Madarame claimed the same thing as you, but as soon as he thought I was gone he was spilling his guts to your barbarian Captain. I won't let the same opportunity slip me by this time." Cold fingers slipped down Yumichika's arm, rolling the sleeve of his hospital-issue nemaki up his arm. Looking around for Kujaku, Yumichika spotted the zanpakutou in the stand by the door and tried to roll to his feet to get to the sword, so he could defend himself from whatever Kurotsuchi had planned for him. When his body didn't respond, Kurotsuchi simply laughed.

"It's pointless, Ayasegawa. I injected you with the same poison that my shikai produces, alongside the stimulant that woke you. You won't be able to move until it wears off. You will, however, be able to feel much more _pain_ than you've ever felt before, if you don't answer my questions truthfully. Now, tell me about the intruders."

Cold fear crept through Yumichika's veins. This man was dangerous, in a way that Zaraki and Ikkaku could never be. Even Yachiru preferred to just outright crush the insects in her path rather than torture them. Still, this only heightened his resolve to not let anything slip in an ugly manner, and he looked away from the grotesquely made-up Captain once more.

"I did not see or hear anything concerning the intruders that passed through my guard post and disabled my squad and myself, Kurotsuchi-_taichou_." He spat the last word, as if the honorific was a foul curse bestowed only on the ugliest of people.

Even when cold fingers descended on his hand and started breaking his fingers one by one, Yumichika refused to speak. Kurotsuchi Mayuri wouldn't be getting his precious 'experiment' back using any information gained from Yumichika, even if he had to die to keep what he'd learned safe.

**0o0**

"Zaraki-taichou, may I have a word with you?" Unohana asked politely, falling into step beside the taller Captain as he strode through the corridors of the aid station. Fourth Division nurses and medics pressed themselves to the walls as he passed, terrified of the consequences of getting in his way long enough to be noticed.

"As long as it's quick. I want a word with Yumichika when he wakes up."

"That is who I wish to talk to you about. Are you aware of any reason why Ayasegawa-goseki would seek a fight against someone as strong as the reiatsu traces indicate?"

Zaraki stopped, staring down at Unohana, his lips curling up in a feral snarl. "What are you trying to say, woman?"

She didn't flinch from his gaze or the weight of reiatsu that slammed into her, immune to the viciousness of Zaraki and his predecessors in defending their honour and that of their men. "I simply asked a question, Zaraki-taichou. How you interpret it is up to you."

"I'll -"

Zaraki's reply was cut off by a choked scream from somewhere else in the wing. The two Captains exchanged glances before taking off at a run towards the sound, easily outstripping other Shinigami brave enough to investigate what would make an officer of the Eleventh cry out in such a manner.

Zaraki's zanpakutou was drawn even before he rounded the last corner, the battered sword outlined by a layer of yellow reiatsu as he contemplated what he'd do to whatever coward dared attack one of his men in their hospital bed. Without missing a stride he jumped over Ikkaku's body, slumped unconscious against the wall where he'd been guarding his friend's room, a dart in his neck showing the reason for his inattentiveness.

"Stubborn fool! Answer the question and I'll end the pain already!" a whining voice stated from inside the room, causing Zaraki's lip to curl. He'd warned that bastard Kurotsuchi about playing his little games with his men, back when he'd caught the creep about to torture Ikkaku for information during Ichigo's little invasion.

"I - I a'ready tol' ya. I d-don' know an'thin'." Yumichika's reply was barely audible, masked as it was by Zaraki crashing through the door and swinging for Kurotsuchi's foul head. The sadist backed off, his hands bloody and holding a scalpel as Zaraki placed himself between Yumichika and his torturer. The normally vivacious Fifth Seat was pale and gasping for breath, his eyes shut and teeth clenched against the pain-filled tremors that wracked his body. His hands were twisted wrecks, the fingers broken and mangled almost beyond recognition, his feet were in a similar condition and blood welled from deep cuts crossing his chest and stomach. "Z-Zaraki-taichou?"

"Yeah, I'm here Yumichika. Anything you want doing to this bastard?" Damn Unohana's rules about bloodshed within the aid station: no one tortured his men like this and got away with it.

"K-kill 'im, please. No' j-jus' fer me. Fer... I'll 'splain l-later."

Zaraki winced slightly at the accent that had slipped into Yumichika's speech. It was easy to forget that he came from just as rough a background as his companions did, the way he spoke most of the time. Zaraki had only heard his true accent once, when he'd been carrying the then-Ninth Seat back from a blood-soaked battlefield, his lungs and stomach filling with blood from the wounds he'd received holding back the Hollows until Zaraki's reinforcements arrived. For him to slip now was bad, and for that alone Kurotsuchi would die slowly and painfully.

Kurotsuchi's gaze darted between the door, guarded by Unohana, Zaraki and the window, as if he was calculating his chances of escape or victory. Zaraki had already done the same thing, and got the same result every time: dead clown. Eventually, backed into a corner well away from any exit points, Kurotsuchi snarled and drew his zanpakutou.

"This isn't over." Raising his zanpakutou to his throat, Kurotsuchi stabbed himself before Zaraki could stop him. The scientist exploded, green goo splattering over the hospital room. The goo began to seep into gaps in the floor and walls, an eerie laugh echoing as it did so.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Playing With The Devil Chapter 3  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG-13 for this chapter, NC-17 overall  
**Warnings:** language  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. The rest of the Captains and Lieutenants are informed of Mayuri's crimes, and Mayuri sets up shop elsewhere.  
**Word Count:** 1979  
**Notes:** Beta'd by **tea_fiend**.

**0o0**

"What's this about, Jyuu-chan?" Kyouraku muttered, falling into step with his oldest friend as they walked towards the First Division's halls and the meeting room they'd been summoned to. Nanao joined Sentarou and Kiyone, who were faithfully trailing along behind their Captain, the serious tone of the message having silenced their usual arguments.

"I've no idea, Shunsui. I'm just trying to think of the last time an emergency summons was signed by both the Fourth and Eleventh Division Captains," Ukitake replied just as quietly, mindful of the Shinigami that passed either side of them on the walkway.

"Why do you think I'm coming, Jyuu-chan, when I had such a busy day planned?" Kyouraku mimed pouring sake down his throat, causing Ukitake to roll his eyes. Both Captains could feel Nanao glaring at Kyouraku's back a second later, the Lieutenant evidently having overheard the conversation. "I was going to do _some_ work, Nanao-chan, I promise."

The doors of the meeting room slammed shut as they passed through them and cut off Nanao's retort, signalling that they were the last to arrive. Zaraki and Unohana were standing together at the end of the room, blood staining their haori and a particularly vicious expression on Zaraki's face. Isane and, for some reason, Madarame stood behind them, Yachiru perched on Madarame's head rather than her usual spot on her father and Captain's shoulder. Ukitake cocked his head to the side as he spotted Unohana, a small gasp escaping from him.

"Jyuu?"

"Tell me, Shunsui, when was the last time you remember Retsu being angry enough for her to lose control of her reiatsu, even slightly?"

Kyouraku concentrated on the serene-looking woman at the front of the hall, his eyes widening slightly as he noticed the fluctuation that Ukitake mentioned. It was faint, so tiny that anyone who hadn't known Unohana for as long as they had likely wouldn't have noticed. Not that anyone else would have been able to sense it, not under the turmoil that was Zaraki's reiatsu.

"Now that everyone has arrived, could you please explain the purpose behind calling us here?" Byakuya asked. Zaraki's eye flicked to the noble and he sneered before continuing.

"I'm only here to inform everyone that Kurotsuchi's worthless ass is mine to kill," Zaraki snarled.

The room erupted into chaos at these words, with everyone demanding explanations. It was no secret that Zaraki despised the Twelfth Division Captain, but he'd never before stated so clearly and openly that he was going to kill Kurotsuchi. That Unohana simply accepted his words without complaint made Ukitake even more curious, and he flared his reiatsu, letting it slam into the assembled Captains and Lieutenants like a wave before drawing it back under control again once they were silent.

"Thank you, Ukitake-taichou. By your silence, Unohana-taichou, and your calling this meeting alongside of him, do you mean that you support Zaraki-taichou's intent to murder a fellow Captain?" Yamamoto stood between the Fourth and Eleventh Division Captains and the rest of the group, his reiatsu beginning to scorch the wood beneath his feet, as if he meant to attack them if their answer was not to his liking.

"After Kurotsuchi's actions today, and indeed for some time now it seems, I will not call that man a Captain any longer."

"Explain. Now," Yamamoto barked.

"The kidnap and torture of the Shinigami Substitute Kurosaki Ichigo. The assault of twelve members of Fourth Division. The assault on Madarame Ikkaku, Eleventh Division's Third Seat. The torture of Ayasegawa Yumichika, Eleventh Division's Fifth Seat, while he was defenceless and in the care of _my_ Division. All of these are known to have been perpetrated by Kurotsuchi Mayuri. All but the first happened within the last twelve hours, within the grounds of the main aid station, where Ayasegawa-goseki was being treated for the injuries he received last night."

For several heartbeats no one responded. Ukitake couldn't believe that Kurotsuchi would go that far, yet to deny it would mean calling Unohana-dai-sempai a liar. Eventually Soifon stepped forward, glaring at the two defiant accusers.

"What proof do you have of any of this?"

"Those intruders last night, the ones that put Yumichika in the hospital. They were rescuing Ichigo from that freak's lab. Yumichika saw Ichigo, and who rescued him, which is why he was tortured, so Kurotsuchi could get the information before Yumichika told me. The bastard was probably gonna kill him straight after to make sure he couldn't tell anyone else."

"As for Ayasegawa-goseki's injuries, he gave me permission to take these pictures to show as proof." Unohana passed a folder to Soifon, who glanced at the contents and went white, passing it onto Kira as soon as she finished flicking through it. The file made its way through the group, until it eventually reached Ukitake and Kyouraku at the back. Neither of them looked at it; they didn't need to, not with everyone else's reactions. Abarai and Tetsuzaemon were murderous, their hands on their zanpakutou and reiatsu lashing out madly, held in place only by the firm gazes of their Captains. Hitsugaya looked like he wanted to throw up, not refusing the comforting arm that Matsumoto threw around his shoulder or the hand that Hinamori slipped into his. Kira and Hisagi looked almost as ready to kill as Abarai and Tetsuzaemon, glancing towards the door as if contemplating hunting down Kurotsuchi themselves. Even Byakuya was shaken, if the fact that he was trembling slightly and a mad gleam had crept into his eyes was any indication.

"You are certain that these... injuries were inflicted by Kurotsuchi?" Yamamoto asked, once he was certain that everyone who wanted to look at the folder had done so.

"We caught him in the act."

"The coward turned himself to goo and escaped, instead of fighting me like a man, like the Captain he supposedly is." Zaraki's reiatsu lashed out, snatching at clothes and hair as he bared his teeth at the gathered Shinigami. "And once I get my hands on him, he won't get chance to do that again."

**0o0**

"Ayasegawa-goseki! Please, lie back down!" Hanatarou pressed at Yumichika's shoulders, trying to keep him on the hospital bed in the surgical ward he'd been moved to. "You're not recovered enough to leave yet."

"Nonsense. I feel perfectly fine. Let me go, Yamada-_nanaseki_."

Hanatarou nearly recoiled at the reminder of his lower rank, before shaking his head. "Inside of the aid station only the healers' ranks matter, Ayasegawa-goseki. You can't give me orders as long as you're a patient."

"I'm discharging myself." Yumichika pushed Hanatarou's arms away, making the healer stumble back slightly, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Where is my zanpakutou?"

"You can't stand! Unohana-taichou only healed the injuries that were immediately life-threatening. All of the bones in your hands and feet are still broken. If you try to walk..."

"I feel _fine_, Yamada. _Where_ is my zanpakutou?"

Hanatarou glanced over to the side of the room, where the IV stand formerly connected to Yumichika's arm was embedded in the wall. Even as badly injured as he was, Yumichika was still capable of throwing him across the room as well. He shook his head defiantly, pulling himself to his full height in front of his patient. "As the healer in charge of your treatment I am _ordering_ you to lie back down and remain in bed until you are fully healed and properly discharged from the care of this Division."

Yumichika slipped from his bed as if he hadn't even heard what Hanatarou was saying. The painkillers still flowing through his body allowed him to stand on shaky legs and stumble over to the door, having spotted his zanpakutou in the stand there.

"Ayasegawa-goseki, I must insist that you return to bed this instant." Hanatarou grabbed Yumichika by the arm, pulling the Eleventh Division officer round to face him. "You are in no condition to do anything. You can't even hold your zanpakutou, not with your hands in that state."

Yumichika shook his arm free, shoving Hanatarou to the ground as he did so. "I'm leaving, Yamada. Don't try to stop me." He awkwardly lifted his zanpakutou from the stand, trapping the sheath between his thumb and palm, and slid it into the sash of his white nemaki. With one last disdainful glare at the healer sprawled on the ground, he turned to leave the hospital room, still hobbling on broken feet that he couldn't feel.

With his back turned, Yumichika didn't notice the small capsule that Hanatarou pulled out from his bag. He also didn't feel it hit his bare leg, shattering wetly and spilling a liquid that quickly seeped into his skin. The sudden fall into unconsciousness just a few steps down the corridor was therefore a complete surprise to him, and a great relief to Hanatarou, who hadn't welcomed the thought of a struggle with an officer of the Eleventh Division, no matter how weakened he was by his injuries.

Of course, now he just had to get Yumichika back on the bed again.

**0o0**

"Nemu! Come here, you worthless slut! And hurry up!" Mayuri's temper hadn't been improved by his turning into a puddle of green goo. In fact it had worsened, and his inability to strike Nemu for her continual failures was only serving to fuel his anger.

He was currently resting in a glass tank at the centre of a large, dark laboratory. Cobwebs hung from the ceiling and dust covered every surface. The banks of computers were silent and the lights were off, unconnected to the power supply that he had personally cut off ten years earlier, when he had seemingly abandoned the research station. Restoring the functions of the lab, a task which was purposely designed to take mere minutes, should have been easy, even for such a defective specimen as the one he was currently forced to rely on. Instead the room was still dormant, nearly half an hour after Nemu's inadequately slow arrival.

"Yes, Mayuri-sama." Nemu hurried out of a side passage, a stray web hanging from her hair as she crossed over to the consoles. "I apologise for my slowness, Mayuri-sama, but it seems that the power systems have accumulated more damage than anticipated since the abandonment of this facility."

"No excuses, cretin. How much longer?" Mayuri was impatient to continue his research. He would remain here, in this facility that no longer existed in the records of the Division, until that barbarian of a Captain calmed down, and then he would return to Seireitei. Although not as well-equipped as his main lab, there was more than enough apparatus here to carry on with his work, as soon as Nemu restored the power so he could order her to access the main databanks and retrieve the notes stored there.

He would also need some of his research material back as well. The subject was out of his reach, taken so rudely from his domain, no doubt by the rest of his kind. If he'd had just a few more minutes he would have had the answers he needed from that insubordinate fool, and his suspicions would have been confirmed or rejected, but now was not the time to dwell on the idiot's unfortunate stroke of luck. He still had _that_ though. Yes, that would work. And he knew the perfect way to have it brought to him, once Nemu restored the power.

The computers began humming as the lights flickered to life overhead. An assortment of beeping and whirring sounds accompanied the start-up of the powerful computers he'd had installed once he'd designated this place as a back-up facility. The boot-up would take just a few minutes, enough time to give Nemu her orders.

"Get over here and listen closely, moron! This is what I want you to do."


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Playing With The Devil Chapter 4  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG-13 this chapter, NC-17 overall  
**Warnings:** none  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. The Twelfth Division is searched, realisations are made and doubt begins to rear its head.  
**Word Count:** 1783  
**Notes:** To the anon reviewers on ffn... FUCK YOU! Especially the one who tried to dictate who I will or will not kill in this fic. Beta'd by the brilliant **tea_fiend**

**0o0**

Lisa watched helplessly as Kurosaki thrashed and screamed within Hachi's barriers. The boy was terrified, his senses still useless from whatever that psychopath had done to him, and he didn't seem to realise that he'd been rescued. No, she thought, there was no way he could know that. His eyes had been torn out at some point, and his inner ears had been destroyed. Without those organs he had no idea whose hands he was in.

A cold bottle pressed against her arm, making Lisa jump at the sudden sensation. She whirled round, half-dropping into a combat stance before she realised that it was Mashiro, come to give her some water while she stood her watch over their injured brother. Accepting the bottle gratefully, Lisa jerked her head at the space next to her, silently telling her to sit.

"What's bothering you, Mashiro?" she eventually asked. Mashiro was crouched next to her, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She stared at the scene below, her chin resting on her knees and brown eyes wide, shuddering every time Kurosaki's screams of pain and fear got especially loud.

"That could have been one of us, Lisa-chan," Mashiro whispered, pressing against Lisa. "It _should_ have been one of us."

"What?"

"Berry-tan's just a kid. He shouldn't even be a Shinigami, never mind one of us. He was dragged into something he couldn't have possibly understood and he got hurt and twisted and we should have protected him and we didn't, and now..."

Lisa sighed and pulled Mashiro close, softly stroking her green hair as the childish Vizard sobbed against her chest. She was right, Lisa realised. They should have protected Kurosaki. He was young, barely trained and not as wary of the dangers around him as he would have been if he'd known more of the truth. If they'd bothered to talk to him, to take some time out of his training to explain _why_ they had to hide themselves, maybe...

"I won't let him get hurt again, Lisa-chan," Mashiro whispered, black fire creeping into the edges of her eyes. "I swear, no one's going to lay another finger on him without going through me first."

...Maybe Mashiro wouldn't be in such a deadly mood. And Kurosaki wouldn't be writhing on the ground, restrained beneath Hachi's barriers as the pink-haired Vizard tried his best to heal a body ravaged by a madman's systematic torture. If - no, _when_ Kurosaki was restored, then they'd sit him down and explain things to him. And they'd apologise, for--

Screams turned into a howl of fury as the sound of shattered glass filled the air, and Kurosaki lunged at Hachi, with liquid bone flowing from his empty eye sockets and mouth to solidify into a mask over his face. There was no pattern or strategy behind the wild attacks, and Lisa let Mashiro take the lead in subduing the poor boy.

--For wrecking his life by keeping secrets from him, for allowing him to be taken and turned into this ravening, insane parody of himself.

Somewhere inside, Lisa knew this wouldn't be enough. No amount of apologies and explanations would make up for this. Not even Kurotsuchi's freaky clown head on a pole would be enough to undo the damage that had been done.

**0o0**

"So, you see, I didn't know what Kurotsuchi-tai... Kurotsuchi was doing. We all knew it was something big - to the left here - because he vanished and left instructions that no one was to come looking for him for any reason. And he was - mind the wall, it's set to fill this corridor with gas if you touch it wrong - he was terribly mad this morning when he left. I thought he was going to kill the first person to look at him wrong, which is why I stayed out of his way. And when those orders came in, the ones Akon-sanseki told you - right here, and mind the poisoned arrow trigger tile on the floor - told you about, to destroy the lab he'd been working in... well, he never mentioned which lab he was actually using, or which one he meant actually since he has about five active experiments running - step only where I step or the roof'll collapse - five that we know of, and that made us wonder what he'd done and then we heard he'd done something bad enough to have all of the Captains searching for him, so Akon-sanseki said that we weren't destroying the labs, not a single one of them."

Ikkaku scowled and resisted the urge to smash the babbling kid's head in as he followed him through the twisting corridors of the Research Bureau. He reminded Ikkaku of someone, that little healer brat that idolised Ichigo to the point of actually volunteering to be the third healer on the Hueco Mundo mission, despite his complete lack of combat ability. They'd expected a struggle from the Twelfth Division scientists, some sort of resistance to Eleventh and Sixth Division's invasion of their premises, but Akon had been waiting for them. They'd guessed, from the fast-spreading rumours and their orders from their former Captain, that something was wrong, and Akon had more sense than to oppose two combat-oriented Divisions, each with a Captain capable of tearing through most of the Twelfth's officers single-handed.

Instead the Third Seat had cooperated with the search teams, assigning his own officers to lead the outsiders through the maze of trapped corridors to the labs that he knew Kurotsuchi had used recently. Ikkaku didn't believe for a second that the horned freak was helping them out of the good of his heart; he was probably hoping to follow in Kurotsuchi's shoes by taking the Captaincy of the Division once the current, no, _former_ holder of that title was dead or exiled. He wondered if Kurotsuchi knew of his former subordinate's ambitions. Probably not, or he'd be a former subordinate in a far different way, no doubt.

"Oh... my access code isn't working for this door," the brat muttered, frowning at the access panel as if it had done something wrong. This was the first room they'd found where the kid couldn't get them inside, so maybe he had. Or maybe there was something in there that Kurotsuchi didn't want his squad members seeing.

"Move it, kid." Ikkaku shoved the boy out of the way. If he couldn't smash the brat's head in, or Akon's for giving him the most annoying officer in the whole of Twelfth as his guide, then at least he could destroy the door. The three squads that Zaraki had assigned to him backed off, getting out of the way in case he sprung a trap or there was some sort of hidden guardian or something waiting for him inside the lab.

"W-wait! You can't!" The brat latched onto Ikkaku's arm, the ridiculous pigtail in the front of his hair waving back and forth like an antenna as he shook his head. "That's steel reinforced with Quincy soul synthesised silver. You can't break it with just a zanpakutou."

"Listen, kid-"

"Rin." The brat stared defiantly at Ikkaku, still hanging onto the Third Seat's arm as if he could stop him from swinging his zanpakutou like that.

"Listen, _kid_, we have to get in here. If it's not opening for the Sixth Seat's codes, then what's being hidden in there? And anyway, has anyone actually tried to cut their way in?"

"There's no one in the Division who'd dare!" Rin shouted, his eyes wide with the thought. He released Ikkaku's arm though, and stepped back slightly. "Besides, I said my personal code doesn't work. If you step aside then I'll try the override code. That should allow us to access the room."

"I like my idea better."

"Let the kid try, Ikkaku-san. I'd rather not have one of Kurotsuchi's traps get sprung in such a confined space. You know how much he likes his poison gases."

Ikkaku scowled at the interruption. He'd forgotten that this was where his and Renji's search patterns met up. The sight of the freaky green guy that had been sent with Renji's team made Rin shrink back behind Ikkaku, as if the Eleventh Divisioner would protect him that way. Ikkaku shook his head.

"Oi, kid, open the door already, would you?" He turned and pushed Rin towards the door. Maybe this would be the one room they were really looking for.

"Y-yes, sir."

**0o0**

Nemu sat silently at the computer, her eyes flicking from top to bottom, right to left as the text on the screen flashed past faster than any ordinary Shinigami would be able to read. Mayuri-sama's orders were explicitly clear, and even such a worthless being as herself would have no problems carrying out his will.

Spotting the command sequence she needed, Nemu paused the flow of information. Her cognitive functions were sufficient to memorise the complex codes, but to make a mistake at this stage would only serve to make Mayuri-sama disappointed in her and her perpetual inability to properly assist in his work.

Nemu allowed herself a small smile while entering the codes into a second computer, one which had a covert connection to a series of hidden systems within the Twelfth Division headquarters. Those that hunted them thought that Mayuri-sama was harmless because he was unable to return to the base of operations that they knew about. It was mistakes like that that would allow Mayuri-sama to remain free until the Eleventh Division Captain lost interest in killing him and returned to his usual barbaric pursuits. The rest of the Captains, though scarcely more intelligent than the Eleventh Division one and nowhere near Nemu's intelligence, never mind Mayuri-sama's near god-like knowledge, would soon realise the futility of pursuing someone who couldn't be found.

The codes entered, Nemu closed the two computers down, swiftly cutting their connections to the main databanks. The intrusion wouldn't be detected, and soon the Gotei Thirteen would have more to worry about than a mere set of experiments on an unworthy subject. Swiftly crossing the room to the hard pallet in the corner, Nemu prepared to shut herself down as well. There was no point in spending her energy unless Mayuri-sama had need of her during his incapacitation.

The traitorous voice that rose up in the back of her mind, asking if Mayuri-sama's actions were really all that noble, was quickly squashed. Mayuri-sama was her life and her soul. He created her, kept her alive despite her uselessness. If not for him then she would have nothing to live for. Questioning him was unthinkable... yet she couldn't fully stifle the growing doubt inside of her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Playing With The Devil Chapter 5  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** character death, implied torture  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. The search of Twelfth Division comes up with disturbing results, and one of the search parties in Rukongai runs into trouble.  
**Word Count:** 2296  
**Notes:** Sorry this has taken so long. Life happens. Master list of chapters can be found here. Beta'd by **cassie5squared**

**oOo**

The smell of vomit was thick in the air as Zaraki followed Ikkaku's runner down the corridor. Vomit and fear and despair, mixed so thick it was almost choking him. The other runner trotting in front of him, the snot-nosed brat that Renji had sent to fetch Kuchiki, shook as they travelled closer to the source, and he looked like he might add his own contribution to the first smell. Zaraki didn't know how Renji put up with the brats fresh out the Academy, if this was what they were all like. Any that got sent the Eleventh's way were put with Yumichika until they toughened up, and they did so quick if they didn't want to get kicked to another Division.

Renji and Ikkaku were standing together at an intersection, scowling at each other and gesturing wildly while they talked. Their squads were mixed together behind them, avoiding the cross corridor that the stench came from. Both officers looked up sharply as their Captains approached, and they bowed slightly even as they each tried to convince the other to explain the situation.

"Explain, Abarai," Kuchiki stated firmly. Renji sighed and glanced down the cross corridor, looking oddly reluctant to venture down there again.

"We found something, Captain. Some sort of specimen room," Renji eventually muttered. Zaraki could see the revulsion in every line of his body, and he wondered what would disgust his former Sixth Seat so much. Surely it couldn't be worse than the incident in West District 57 with the disease that turned Rukongai dwellers into savage cannibals.

"That room is fuckin' filled with people. Some in cages, others hangin' from hooks on the ceilin' an' yet more chained to the walls. It's absolutely fuckin' disgustin'," Ikkaku snapped, waving his zanpakutou, which was luckily still sheathed, wildly. "That sick fuck's jus' rounded people up ta use in his fuckin' experiments an' he doesn't fuckin' care what happens to 'em."

"I knew he had to have a specimen room. He hinted as much in Hueco Mundo, when he found that Espada's one, but -" Renji shook his head, reluctantly turning down the corridor. Zaraki let Kuchiki and Ikkaku follow him first, wanting to see their reactions to whatever this room contained before he looked in. Whatever was in there, it was bad enough to disturb both Renji and Ikkaku, and that was something that Zaraki wasn't sure he wanted to see.

Kuchiki recoiled as he entered the room that lay open halfway down the hallway. He stood in the doorway, his fists clenching and unclenching rapidly as his head swivelled round, as if he was trying to convince himself that what he was seeing wasn't real. Zaraki couldn't blame him, from what he could see over the noble's head. Eventually Kuchiki stepped forward, following Renji and Ikkaku into the room so Zaraki could follow. As soon as he was inside the room, he was glad that he'd told Yachiru to stay with Yumichika, despite her sulking about it.

One of the bodies hanging from the ceiling twisted slightly as their movement disturbed the foetid air, and Zaraki swore. One of his former Seventeenth Seats, assumed dead at the claws of the Hollow that wiped out the rest of his squad, was one of the captives here. Zaraki started to step forwards, to see if the man was really dead, only to be halted by Renji's hand on his elbow.

"There are kidou traps and barriers all over the room. I sent a runner to the Kidou Corps to request one of their officers to come make this room safe for Fourth Division to work in," Renji explained. The Lieutenant was looking at a point just past him, though what he thought he could see with those sunglasses on his face, Zaraki didn't know. "You were just about to walk into... um, a combined Tsuriboshi and Haien, hidden by Kyakko."

"Can you identify and avoid all the traps?" Kuchiki asked, cutting off Zaraki's retort before he could even open his mouth.

"Some of them. There are combinations in here I don't recognise, and some of the gaps are so small that even you couldn't pass them, Kuchiki-taichou."

"Ya sure, Renji? Kidou's never exactly been your strong point," Ikkaku pointed out, looking sceptical about the redhead's claims.

"Yeah, I'm sure. My glasses are pinpointing all the ones that are giving off a strong enough signature. This room is ablaze with them, as far as I'm concerned."

"Let me see them, Renji," Kuchiki ordered. Renji slipped his sunglasses off and handed them to his Captain. The bulky headgear looked even more ridiculous on the noble than they did on his Lieutenant, and he quickly slipped them off again.

"I don't care what you saw, Zaraki. No one is to go any further into this room until the Kidou Corps and Fourth Division arrive." With that Kuchiki turned on his heel, his scarf swishing behind him as he strode out of the disgusting room. Renji shrugged and followed, leaving Ikkaku and Zaraki alone.

"Che, Kuchiki-hime's forgotten that I'm senior to him. Still -" Zaraki looked around the room, at the twisted and broken souls that filled every corner, "- he has a point. We can't do a thing here. C'mon, Ikkaku."

"Yes, sir!"

This was the Fourth Division's domain, and he'd gladly leave them to it.

**oOo**

"Any luck yet, Soifon-taichou?" Ukitake sounded far too cheerful under the circumstances, Soifon thought. She turned to face him, dismissing the three squads she'd been briefing with a quick jerk of her head. They had their orders, they shouldn't need anything more from her.

"Not yet. I have every single one of my squads searching any location that Kurotsuchi could possibly have taken refuge in. Is there any news from the search of Twelfth Division headquarters?"

"Not yet," Ukitake admitted. "It's a large building, that's got quite an extensive underground portion, and it'll take a while for Sixth and Eleventh Division to completely check every room. I believe I did see a runner headed towards the Kidou Corps headquarters, so they might have found something."

"It is possible," Soifon glanced around, making sure that none of her men were within earshot of the quiet conversation. "I think my predecessor may have been too hasty in standing down the watch over Kurotsuchi. He obviously has not reformed his ways as he claimed to have done."

"We had no reason to believe that he would go this far, Soifon. If I'd known he was interested in the Vizard, then I would have personally warned him away from Ichigo-kun."

Despite herself, Soifon flinched at the harsh tone and the flash of killing intent that accompanied Ukitake's words. It was easy to forget that this man had been a Captain since long before she was born, since before her parents and grandparents were born even. She doubted that Kurotsuchi would have dared make a move against Kurosaki if Ukitake had caught a whiff of his twisted desires.

"SOIFON-TAICHOU!" Two Onmitsukidou operatives appeared behind Soifon, gasping for breath as they each dropped to one knee. Blood dripped to the ground beneath them, from wounds to their arms and chests. "Soifon-taichou, backup is required in East Rukongai, 14th District. Numerous huge Hollows and at least two incomplete Arrancar have been discovered there."

"Incomplete Arrancar?" Soifon snarled. What the hell had Kurotsuchi been playing at where no one could see him? "And you left them instead of fighting?"

"Oomaeda-fukutaichou ordered us to return to Seireitei for reinforcements and a clean-up crew while he led the rest of the squad to engage the enemy."

"We came as fast as we could, Soifon-taichou. What are your orders?"

Soifon shook her head. The runners were in no condition to do anything more, exhausted and injured as they were. And she had no more squads to send to her Lieutenant's aid, having already ordered them out to their own patrol areas.

"Report to the medic assigned to the Division to have your injuries treated, then rest. You've done enough for today," Soifon said. "East Rukongai, 14th District?"

"Yes, Soifon-taichou?"

"Good. That's all I need to know."

"Soifon-taichou? You're-"

Soifon shunpo'd away, reappearing on the roof of a building several streets to the east of the Second Division courtyard. If she had no one to send, she had no choice but to go to her Lieutenant's aid herself. A flutter of white made her turn her head slightly, to see Ukitake matching her pace with ease.

"I'll come with you, Soifon-taichou."

"I don't require assistance."

Ukitake smiled, as if the gesture would change Soifon's mind. "I won't assist you then. I simply wish to see these incomplete Arrancar for myself. It is possible, though unlikely given recent events, that they are natural Arrancar, formed from high-class Hollows that tore off their own masks for whatever reason. I will know the difference when I see them with my own eyes."

"Stay out of my way then. I won't hold back just because you're between me and my enemy."

"I wouldn't assume otherwise, Soifon-taichou."

**oOo**

Blood sprayed over Ukitake's haori as he severed the leg of the Hollow that towered over him, staining the white fabric a near black. The small, almost inaudible, hiss of acid eating through cotton made him curse and throw the coat from his shoulders. That was another haori ruined. The Hollow shuddered and fell, gravity finally winning over its attempts to stay standing with half the legs it started with, and Ukitake sliced its mask in half before its body hit the ground. With one last shriek it vanished, dissolving into uncountable pinpoints of light.

His opponent defeated, Ukitake took the time to look over the rest of the battlefield. Only two of Oomaeda-fukutaichou's squad were standing. The Lieutenant himself was nowhere to be seen, and his reiatsu was only the faintest whisper near the centre of the mêlée, where the Hollows were the most numerous still. Despite her earlier protests, Soifon hadn't denied needing Ukitake's help when they saw the sheer scale of the problem, and he'd been glad to assist. The other Captain was on the opposite side of the fray, having decided upon arrival to launch a pincer attack on the Hollows.

Kneeling to check the pulse of a Shinigami lying bleeding on the ground _-nothing there, not that he expected otherwise with her guts strewn around her-_, Ukitake wondered where all these Hollows had come from. An incursion of this size from Hueco Mundo would have been detected long before it actually broke through into Rukongai. There was no way this was natural. The abilities these Hollows had weren't natural either, and if those Arrancar were self-made he'd eat his haori, acid and all.

Spikes flew threw the air towards Ukitake, and he dodged to the side. One of the two incomplete Arrancar was lumbering towards him, the flesh on its face and shoulder knitting back together and its arm repairing itself with a sickening crunch of bone on bone. Whoever's blood was on its massive hands had obviously done some damage before they were defeated. Now it was coming straight for Ukitake though, picking up speed as its injuries healed, and lowering its head to make better use of the massive bull-like horns mounted there.

It was still slow though, especially to someone of Ukitake's level. The white-haired Captain waited until the creature was almost close enough to bury those bony horns into his flesh before he moved, not even bothering to use shunpo as he spun away. His zanpakutou glittered with the blood of the Hollows he'd already defeated as he brought it round in a graceful arc, neatly decapitating the lumbering beast.

Before the Arrancar's body even finished dissolving, the rest of the Hollows had already fled. Some of them opened portals back to Hueco Mundo, obviously realising that to stay in Soul Society would be to invite their own eventual destruction. The majority scattered into Rukongai though, and Ukitake let them leave. There were enough patrols out that they'd be defeated in time.

Wiping his zanpakutou carefully before sheathing it, and making a mental note to clean it properly the first chance he got, Ukitake surveyed the destruction around him. Blood and gore covered the grassy field, and large footprints were embedded deep in the earth. The bodies of most of Oomaeda-fukutaichou's squad lay broken on the ground, the two survivors gravitating towards Soifon.

Soifon herself was crouched by the body of her Lieutenant. Amazingly he was still alive, sitting against a fencepost with his zanpakutou, or what was left of it rather, clutched in one hand. Ukitake could tell that the young man wouldn't live, not with the injuries he had. Several spikes penetrated his chest and stomach, and blood bubbled from his mouth every time he took a breath. Ukitake couldn't hear his words, where normally his ears would be ringing from the young nobleman's unnecessarily loud voice. Soifon seemed to realise this as well, as she knelt down by her dying subordinate to receive his final report.

Ukitake lowered his head in respect as Oomaeda-fukutaichou's reiatsu faded out completely. He hadn't had much contact with the young Lieutenant, but he had to have been a fine officer if Soifon chose him as her second. When Soifon finally stood, her hakama stained with bloody mud, she looked murderous. "Kurotsuchi will _pay_ for this," she snarled.

Ukitake didn't offer to help as Soifon lifted her Lieutenant's body over her shoulder. This was her final act towards her second, and he couldn't interfere. He could only guard her from attack as they returned him to his family.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Playing with the Devil Chapter 6  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG-13 this chapter, NC-17 overall  
**Warnings:** some use of language  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. Help is brought in to heal Ichigo, Yumichika receives a welcome visitor and Byakuya thinks of the future.  
**Word Count:** 2458  
**Notes:** Master list of chapters can be found here. I don't think the 10th Kenpachi, the one mentioned during the Turn Back The Pendulum arc, is the current one. Tousen was already a Captain when Zaraki took command, which he wasn't 109 years ago. Zaraki is the 11th Kenpachi, at the very earliest, in my mind and therefore my fics. Beta'd by the lovely **cassiesquared**. **Happy New Year!!!!**

**oOo**

"What did you bring _her_ here for, dickheads?!" Hiyori screeched at Love and Rose. One sandal was missing from her feet, embedded in the wall of the building opposite the warehouse, having passed straight through the corrugated metal wall as well as Hacchi's barriers. It had originally been aimed for Love's head, but the other Vizard had ducked out of the way. "Are you _trying_ to help the Shinigami find us so they can finish what they started with Ichigo?"

"Hachi is having no luck healing Ichigo. His reaction to the kidou barriers and healing are far too violent for any progress to be made that way," Love reasoned. "That bastard probably used healing kidou to keep him alive. Do you really expect him to forget that feeling?"

"And you think that Orihime-chan's abilites will feel different enough that he'll accept the healing without trying to kill her and everyone else in the room," Shinji stated, dropping from the upper level of the warehouse. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Don't stick up for them, dickhead. What if that woman goes running straight back to the Shinigami?" Hiyori couldn't understand why no one else seemed to see why this was such a bad idea. That Shinigami who claimed to be Ichigo's friend and probably set him up for capture was still in Karakura, and if she found out where Ichigo was, she'd call the Captains down on them. Strong as they were, they wouldn't be able to face all the Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13, not if they had to defend Ichigo at the same time.

"She's Thirteenth Division, Hiyori. She'd report to Ukitake first. Do you _honestly_ think he would sanction what was done to Ichigo?" Shinji shrugged and ruffled Hiyori's hair, earning a deadly glare from the much shorter girl. "I doubt Rukia-chan is the type to betray the man who saved her life."

"I didn't see Ukitake helping _us_ when we were betrayed!" Hiyori snarled, smacking Shinji's hand away. "And if any Shinigami show up here, I'll gut them myself." She turned and stomped away, vanishing into the upper levels of the warehouse where the living quarters were.

They couldn't trust Shinigami. Just because those bastards didn't turn on them after Ichigo killed Aizen, didn't mean they were on the same side now. That Kenpachi, a more aggressive one than the one she remembered, had wanted to fight them, even with his arm a mangled mess and his battered zanpakutou broken. The bloodthirsty bastard would kill Ichigo without a thought if he was ordered to, she would bet. The Vizard were strong, and the Captains were still understrength from the war, but if it came down to a fight, there would be massive casualties on both sides.

Shinji wanted to trust in Ukitake's fairness, the idiot. If he was so fair, why didn't he help them when Aizen turned on them? They couldn't trust Ukitake, or his ever-present partner Kyouraku. They couldn't trust any Shinigami. It was a fool's move to do so. The Central 46 would love to wipe out all evidence of the Vizard, and that meant killing them all. Hiyori wouldn't let that happen.

No more harm would come to her family at Shinigami hands. She wouldn't let those bastards bring further pain to those she loved, even if she had to die to prevent it. The next Shinigami to so much as _breathe_ wrong anywhere near a Vizard would _die_, if she had anything to say about it.

**oOo**

Rough fingers brushing her hair back off her face woke Rangiku from an exhausted sleep. She sat up slowly, hearing the vertebrae in her lower back and neck crack in protest as she stretched. Hospital visitor chairs weren't the most comfortable places to fall asleep, especially when you woke up half-draped over your boyfriend's legs.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are when you're asleep?" Yumichika asked softly. "What are you doing here?"

"I can't come and see you when I'm on my break?" she replied just as gently. "It's been chaos here."

"What's being done about that bastard?" Yumichika asked. "He's not going to get away with what he's done, is he?"

Rangiku shook her head, smiling coldly as she thought of who Yumichika meant. "Unohana-taichou and Zaraki-taichou called a full meeting of the Captains and Lieutenants as soon as you were stable. Kurotsuchi will be brought to trial for his crimes, and if found guilty he'll most likely be executed."

"Taichou caught him then?" Yumichika grinned ferally. "Serves the bastard right."

"No, he escaped. Every Division has been mobilised to search. Well, except for Fourth Division. They're not really combat oriented, you know. And they have plenty of work to do anyway. Squads keep running into Kurotsuchi's hidden labs, and that never ends well." Rangiku paused, unsure if she should tell Yumichika what had happened the previous day. He sensed her hesitation and laid his hand over her larger one.

"What happened?"

"Oomaeda's squad found a lab filled with experimental Hollows... and two incomplete Arrancar. They were overrun before they even knew what they'd walked into. There were only four survivors when Soifon-taichou and Ukitake-taichou arrived as backup. Two of them were the squad's runners, who were sent back by Oomaeda when he realised they needed help, before he was surrounded," she explained softly. She knew she didn't need to say more as Yumichika's expression darkened.

They sat in silence for several minutes, neither knowing what to say. Eventually Yumichika pulled his hand away from hers and threw the blankets aside. "I should return to my Division, Rangiku. I shouldn't be lying in bed, broken and useless."

"You're _not_ broken, and you most definitely aren't useless, Yumichika. And what do you mean by returning to your Division? There is no way in hell that Zaraki-taichou would allow you to take charge of your squad. Not when you were in critical condition only two days ago."

"If I can stand and hold my zanpakutou then my place is with my Division. This is the Eleventh Division way, Ran. You know this." He stood shakily and smiled at her, steadying himself on her shoulder. She started to push him back towards the bed but he resisted. "I'm fine. My muscles are just asleep from being in bed for two days. I'm not about to collapse."

"Zaraki-taichou told me to tell you that if he sees you outside of Fourth Division before Unohana-taichou clears you, he'll assume you're fit enough to answer the ranking challenges that have built up in your absence. _All seven of them._" Rangiku pushed a suddenly unresisting Yumichika back onto the bed. "You'd be seriously injured if you tried that now."

"No," Yumichika stated firmly. "I'd be killed. Taichou won't interfere in a ranking fight, even if it looks like the winner is about to kill his opponent. I'm not recovered enough to take on seven fights in a row. One or two, maybe three if I push myself or four if I want to end up back here, but not seven."

"You're absolutely unbelievable," Rangiku scolded, a smile tugging at her lips. "Unohana-taichou would kill you if you even _thought_ about taking on _one_ ranking challenge right now."

A butterfly flew into the room, landing delicately on the hand that Rangiku held out to it. The message it carried was audible even to Yumichika, and he grinned as Hitsugaya's voice boomed out from the tiny insect.

_~Matsumoto, when I ordered you off duty and told you to get some rest, I actually expected you to return to your quarters and sleep. If I find out you've been getting drunk in some bar somewhere, I'm assigning you to the next patrol in the far north of Hokkaidou. Alone. Now get back to the office immediately; your shift started twenty minutes ago. I expected better of you in such a situation as the one we're currently in.~_

"Oops. Taichou must have been worried enough to check my quarters for me. Guess he didn't think I'd come to see you." Rangiku picked her zanpakutou up from where it had been resting against the wall and slid it into her sash with the ease of long practice. "I should report in. Hopefully he'll calm down when he doesn't smell booze on me."

Yumichika grinned and grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles gently. "Until next time, Ran."

Any other man would add to that, insult her strength and skill by telling her not to enter dangerous fights, but Yumichika didn't. He knew better than to be so hypocritical. Grinning wickedly, Rangiku leaned over Yumichika, giving him a clear view down her top, and kissed her unprotesting boyfriend. His hands slowly tangled in her hair as her tongue slipped into his mouth, and she knew she'd be thoroughly mussed when she turned up at the office. She didn't care; Hitsugaya should have been listening when she said she would take the chance to visit Yumichika while she could.

**oOo**

Abarai's tendency to work himself to the point of collapse would cause him problems one day, Byakuya thought as he spotted his Lieutenant curled up in a dark corner. The young man was seemingly oblivious to all that was happening around him, and the busy squad members were simply ignoring and avoiding him as they carried out their assigned tasks.

Byakuya was surprised that Abarai could even sleep here, so close to the chamber of horrors that was still being cleared. Judging from the state of the Lieutenant's uniform, he hadn't left the area at all since the discovery the previous day. He started to walk over to Abarai, to wake him up and send him back to his own quarters to get some proper sleep, when a young man with beaded hair and familiar-looking facial tattoos stepped in front of him and bowed deeply.

"Excuse me, Kuchiki-taichou. I have a message for you from Abarai-fukutaichou," the young Shinigami said quickly, before Byakuya could order him to move out of the way. Byakuya raised an eyebrow in a silent order for the boy to continue. "He said that he'll be fine where he is, he'll wake by himself in a few hours and that if he leaves this place he may not have the courage to return."

The boy fidgeted nervously as Byakuya interpreted the high-speed message. He was surprised that Abarai would admit to such a thing, but also pleased. The brash street rat he'd picked from the Eleventh's officers would never have voiced such a fear just a few months ago. This was a pleasing development for his Lieutenant, one that heralded a maturity Byakuya had nearly despaired of seeing in him. Maybe there was hope for Abarai's chances of becoming someone Byakuya would proudly nominate for Captaincy in the future. He would have to do it anyway, there were too few bankai users in Seireitei for Abarai to be passed over, but maybe he would be able to sponsor Renji because he was ready for such a promotion, rather than because he was the only possible candidate.

Deciding to leave the sleeping Lieutenant alone, Byakuya signalled for the boy to follow him as he strode towards the room of horrors. The young man idolised Abarai, and followed him everywhere. He would know what had been happening during Byakuya's absence.

"What is your name?"

The boy jumped slightly, as if he hadn't expected Byakuya to care about being even that polite to someone as junior as he obviously was. "Rikichi, sir."

"How long did you follow Abarai-fukutaichou for until he decided to take a break, Rikichi?" There was no point in beating about the bush. If Rikichi knew anything about what was being done, Byakuya could use that information before he took charge.

"I was with him all day, Kuchiki-taichou."

"How much do you remember of the orders he gave?" The pair stood to the side as two Fourth Divisioners ran past with a laden trolley, neither wanting to be flattened.

"I can do better than that, sir." Rikichi stopped and pulled the supply bag from his back. He opened it and rummaged around inside for a few seconds, eventually withdrawing a clipboard. "Abarai-fukutaichou had me write down every order he gave, where he assigned men to and everything else that happened. He said you would find it more useful than having to waste time finding everything out yourself from multiple people."

Rikichi handed the clipboard to Byakuya with a bow. The Captain flicked through the pages filled with neat kanji and furigana, finding nothing to fault Abarai for within the rough report. When Abarai was promoted, Byakuya would suggest he take this young man with him. Rikichi would be an asset to him, and a familiar face would give Abarai something to help him through the transition to command.

"How long have you been on duty, Rikichi?" Byakuya queried as he saw the young man try to stifle a yawn. If he'd been following Abarai around and taking notes for him, he had to have been awake for at least twenty hours by now.

"I was with Abarai-fukutaichou when the room was opened, Kuchiki-taichou."

"And Abarai ordered you to wait for my arrival as well?" Maybe Abarai hadn't matured that much then, if he was being so careless with his men. Rikichi should have gone off duty with his Lieutenant if he'd been with him all that time.

"I volunteered, Kuchiki-taichou. I..." Rikichi blushed and looked down at the ground, suddenly unwilling to meet Byakuya's gaze. "I don't think I can sleep after seeing that room. I know I won't come back if I return to barracks."

Byakuya's respect for the young Shinigami rose slightly at that admission. He'd learned from his idol's example if he was willing to admit such a thing to his Captain. Byakuya wondered how many more of his men believed the same thing but were too ashamed to tell their officers.

"I'm sure Abarai-fukutaichou won't mind if you take your rest near him. Go now, before you fall asleep on your feet," Byakuya ordered. Rikichi bowed and scurried off, and Byakuya watched him until he turned a corner. That boy admired Abarai as much as... as much as Hinamori Momo had once admired Aizen Sousuke. If Byakuya didn't know his Lieutenant so well, such a comparison would worry him. It was a good thing Abarai was too honest to deliberately abuse such devotion.

Two Shinigami came running up to Byakuya and bowed before starting to babble two completely different things at once. Holding up his hand to silence them, Byakuya pushed away thoughts of Abarai's possible future promotion. They had to deal with the problems Kurotsuchi had caused before that could happen.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Playing with the Devil Chapter 7  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG this chapter, NC-17 overall  
**Warnings:** none  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. A possible lead to Kurotsuchi is found and more plots are made.  
**Word Count:** 2064  
**Notes:** Master list of chapters can be found here. I don't know how large a squad led by a seated officer is, so I made up a number here. Betaed by the brilliant **agenttrojie**.

**oOo**

There was something weird going on, Yuzu thought. She hadn't seen Ichi-nii in _ages_. True, it wasn't the first time he'd vanished, but this was different. He'd promised he wouldn't just disappear again, not without telling her or Karin that he was going to be away for some time. She'd been so upset last time he returned out of the blue, all beaten up and tired and covered in blood that he said wasn't his that he'd knelt down and hugged her and _swore_ he'd never abandon her like that again. Ichi-nii always kept his promises, so why was he gone again without a word?

Hugging Bostov tightly, Yuzu wondered what could have happened to her older brother. She'd asked Sado-san if he knew where her brother was, thinking that the giant teenager would be the most likely person to know anything. He'd just looked sad and shrugged silently though, and the other boy that was with him, Ishida-san, had said that none of Ichi-nii's friends had seen him since he came home from school that last night Yuzu saw him. He'd looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. Maybe it had to do with the spirits that all Ichi-nii's friends could see so clearly but she still couldn't.

Her next stop had been at Urahara-san's shop. Old man Urahara hadn't been there when she visited, but Jinta-kun was. He was as kind as ever, even though he did insult Bostov again and call him some silly name that wasn't his real one, but he went really quiet when Yuzu mentioned her brother. She knew Ichi-nii spent a lot of time at the shop, probably working for old man Urahara, but Jinta went white when she mentioned his name. He refused to look her in the eye after that, and he politely dismissed her as quickly as he could. She wondered if Ichi-nii and old man Urahara had had a fight about something, but she dismissed that thought. Jinta-kun wasn't the sort to hold back information like that.

Even tou-san was acting weird. He was being even more protective towards them than he usually was. The sad angry look on his face when Yuzu asked him if he knew where her brother was scared her, and she didn't ask again. She'd only seen tou-san truly angry a few times, and it was scary. For him to get so angry over Ichi-nii's disappearance... Yuzu hoped that the two most important men in her life hadn't had an argument - a bigger one than they usually had - that ended in Ichi-nii running away or being kicked out.

Rukia-san didn't know anything either. Well, she hadn't when Yuzu had first asked her, two days after Ichi-nii disappeared. She'd shrugged off Yuzu's concerns, reminding her that Ichi-nii had left before and saying that he was probably being an idiot and training somewhere alone and in secret. Yuzu hadn't wanted to ask what her brother would be training for, as he wasn't a member of any of the clubs at school except for the homework club. Then someone had phoned her, someone that Rukia-san called 'nii-sama', and when she hung up Rukia-san looked sad, so sad that it felt like ice near her, and refused to talk about Ichi-nii at all.

Something was definitely wrong with Ichi-nii. Yuzu hoped he wasn't dead. No, surely his friends would tell her, his _sister_ if he was. He was in trouble though. Serious trouble. More trouble than he'd ever been in before, and no one was telling her or Karin anything. Were they trying to protect Ichigo's 'kid sisters'? If that was the case, Yuzu wasn't going to stand for it. She'd tell Karin what she thought was happening, compare notes with her, and then they'd raise hell together to get their brother back.

Ichi-nii's friends were going to find out that his sisters weren't delicate flowers that needed protecting. And whoever was keeping Ichi-nii away would soon know why it was a bad idea to mess with _any_ member of the Kurosaki family. Ichi-nii always looked after them, and it was time for Yuzu and Karin to return the favour.

**oOo**

The roar of a nearby Hollow made Ikkaku grin and look to his right, to see the matching manic smile on Yumichika's face. His grin faded as he realised that his partner wasn't there. It felt wrong, charging towards battle without Yumichika matching him step for step, swing for swing, kill for kill. He should be there, leading his squad of ten alongside Ikkaku's.

The twenty men that made up the combined squad were grinning though. They could hear the roars as well, increasing in number as more of the nest caught the scent of the Eleventh Division kill squad. The nest was hidden in the remains of one of Kurotsuchi's twisted labs, and had been identified earlier that day by a Third Division recon team, who'd had the sense to retreat and leave the fighting to the people who really knew what they were doing.

He broke into a run as he cleared the tree line. He could see the ruins of the lab now, and the gargantuan Hollow towering over them. There were smaller ones around, but the main threat was the octopus-like one slowly pulling itself free from the mostly underground facility. The squads could handle the lesser threats while he took on that thing.

"Big one's mine!" he yelled, unsheathing his zanpakutou as he ran. Flipping Houzukimaru's blade over in his left hand, Ikkaku rammed the hilt of the sword back into the sheath. "Nobiro, Houzukimaru!" He grinned as he felt his zanpakutou surge to life, the spirit's unusual bloodlust clouding his vision as he charged, determined to inflict the anger they both felt at Yumichika's treatment on the Hollows in front of them.

Spinning the spear in his left hand, Ikkaku leapt into the air with a yell. A massive tentacle sliced through the air, revealing razor-sharp spines on the underneath, and Ikkaku dodged with a quick manipulation of the reishi that was so abundant in Soul Society. Another tentacle lashed out, this time coming sideways to catch him in the side. He pushed off the invisible platform, jumping over the limb and spinning mid-air to come at it from above.

This was what he lived for, the thrill of combat. Houzukimaru's blade bit into the Hollow's tentacle, drawing a spray of thick purple-black blood as Ikkaku pulled the spear away. The Hollow shrieked in pain as it finally realised it had been wounded. The tentacles were lashing in an ever-changing weave of slimy, muscular, spiny flesh, and Ikkaku was soon covered in wounds from where he'd been unable - or unwilling - to dodge completely.

The screams that filled the air -anger, pain, denial, defeat - spurred him on. This thing wasn't Kurotsuchi, but it _was_ one of his twisted experiments and that would have to be enough for now. It even looked kinda like the freaky mask that that bastard wore, and Ikkaku grinned as he imagined driving Houzukimaru's blade through it. If he had the chance to fight Kurotsuchi he'd take it, for Yumichika's sake, and for Ichigo. _No one_ got away with messing up Ikkaku's friends like that. It would probably be the last thing he did, attacking a Captain-class Shinigami head on, but it would feel good.

Blood sprayed from Ikkaku's side as one of the spiny limbs caught him, and he quickly spun Houzukimaru to sever it before it could reverse itself and leave a similar gash in his other side. He was almost to the Hollow's masked face now, and the creature's defence was getting even more desperate with every tentacle he cut off. Using the stump of a severed limb as a springboard, Ikkaku jumped towards the mask in front of him, Houzukimaru held over his head for the killing blow.

The Hollow screamed as it disintegrated, and Ikkaku landed heavily on the blood-soaked ground. Wiping away blood from his eyes _'long cut on forehead, shallow, bleeding like fuck, not important enough to bother about'_ Ikkaku spotted a black-clad figure standing at the far edge of the battlefield. A woman with killer legs and wearing a nice obi over her short black dress stood watching the two Eleventh Division squads wipe out the Hollows. Ikkaku snarled as he realised exactly who she was, but before he could do anything Kurotsuchi Nemu vanished in a burst of shunpo.

Ikkaku toggled his earpiece, hoping that he was still within radio range of Seireitei. He and his men were in no condition to track the bitch back to her treacherous father, but if he could get a Captain or two out here quickly enough, they'd have no trouble finding the pair and bringing them to justice.

**oOo**

Data filtered in to the screens that surrounded Mayuri, flickering past faster than an untrained eye could follow. The scientist had no trouble deciphering the flow of information though, and he giggled as he realised exactly what his instruments were telling him. And they were telling him a lot, mostly related to the deaths of his specimens that were being found by Shinigami.

Remotely deactivating the security measures on the underground storage facilities where he kept Hollows for post-modification observation and research had been a stroke of genius. By the time the Gotei 13 was finished clearing them up, Zaraki would have slaked his bloodlust and Mayuri would be free to return safely. Sure there had been the minor misstep of that Lieutenant accidentally finding the one with two incomplete Arrancar, but he had no doubt that even Soifon would remember the general incompetence of the man and make allowances for his inability in all areas of combat.

Icons flashed up and then died, indicating that more of his specimens had been eradicated, but Mayuri didn't care. Hollows were abundant enough that he could easily get more test subjects as he needed them. This data he was gathering was far more interesting. He quickly typed in a small reminder to himself, more as security than from a lack of perfect memory, to find a way to examine Madarame Ikkaku. That specimen he'd defeated should have given a Captain problems, yet he'd defeated it in no time at all. Combined with his bankai - and how amusing it was that Madarame thought that _that_ was still a secret from all the Captains who could sense reiatsu - such a quick victory made Madarame a prime subject. Mayuri had never had a chance to test a bankai-capable Shinigami before. Maybe he could discover a way to make bankai more accessible to the average Shinigami, therefore increasing the Gotei 13's military strength.

Not that he cared about such things. His experiments were for his own amusement and his own benefit. Anything useful to others that came from them was merely an unintended side-effect. Urahara had tried to be useful to others, and look where that got him. Sentenced to the Maggot's Nest with his powers sealed. No, Mayuri didn't want that. He wouldn't go back to the Maggot's Nest, back to that cell where he was chained to the wall. He had no Shihouin Yoruichi to rescue him. The jealousy of the other Captains would keep them from helping him in such a way. He only phrased his research proposals the way he did so they would be approved. His mistake before had been to do too much too fast, without the approval he needed. He hadn't made that mistake since then, not wishing a repeat of his time in that hellhole.

The sound of footsteps approaching the lab announced Nemu's return, her reiatsu suppressed so low it was non-existent even to his senses. He'd sent the worthless bitch out to lay a false trail, one that led to the only facility with its defences still active. Anyone who tracked her reiatsu to that place, who was stupid enough to think that Mayuri would make such a foolish move as to send the useless whore to visually check on things, to think that he would _need_ such clumsy measures, would deserve the surprise waiting for them. And if they were stupid enough to send someone lower ranked than a Captain, they would be losing even more men through their own stupidity.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Playing with the Devil Chapter 8  
**Author:** Ansela Jonla  
**Fandom:** Bleach  
**Rating:** PG this chapter, 18 overall  
**Warnings:**  
**Summary:** Mayuri's decision to experiment on a Vizard sets in motion a chain of events that will once again rock the Gotei Thirteen. Traps, discoveries and pain.  
**Word Count:** 1312  
**Notes:** Master list of chapters can be found here. This is most definitely AU, from where Ichigo and Unohana left Hueco Mundo and returned to FKT.

Kira and Shuuhei cautiously approached what looked like yet another hidden lab, the entrance disguised as a cave in the side of the lone hill. They'd been sent – partly due to the fact that they were the nearest Lieutenants, and partly because Kira was carrying a medical kit that he would no doubt need - to reinforce Madarame, who'd been ordered to pursue Kurotsuchi Nemu. There'd been no contact from the Third Seat for over half an hour, his last communication cut off in a burst of static.

"Something's interfering with my comms, senpai," Kira muttered, fiddling with his earpiece. "I don't like this. It feels like a trap."

"Trap or not, we have our orders," Shuuhei responded. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he started to draw his zanpakutou, before pausing and smiling briefly. "Hinamori-kun, it's not wise to sneak up on anyone right now."

"Sorry, senpai. I've been scouting the area and thought it best if I wasn't detected." Hinamori shook her head as she joined them. "This is the only entrance I could find. There are several sets of footprints leading in and out. Most of them are small, possibly Kurotsuchi Nemu's, but there's one bigger set that only goes in."

"Madarame, huh?" Shuuhei sighed. "I hope he's not bitten off more than he can chew this time."

The three Lieutenants moved towards the entrance in silence, alert for any possible guardians that Madarame had missed or that had moved into position since his passing. Nothing stirred as they entered the dark, cave-like corridor, their footsteps echoing around the rocky walls.

There was only one path in, footsteps in the dust showing that someone had been by that place recently. Recessed lights set into the walls lit the corridor, allowing them to see where they were going. Hinamori muttered about it being a trap, echoing Kira's earlier misgivings. Apart from the footprints on the floor, there was no sign that Madarame had passed through there.

The passage eventually opened up into a massive cavern, the ceiling out of reach of the dim lighting that ringed the lower half. Stairs led down to the cavern floor, leading to the human-sized passage from the outside, and several others set around the edge, which were all placed halfway up the walls, connected by a thin ledge that ringed the cavern. Other passages at ground level, blocked off with thick-barred gates, were much larger. Restraints in the floor were similarly sized, making the small bank of computers and storage units set against one wall look like children's toys. The floor was lined with grated drains under each set of restraints, yet there were still bloodstains of varying ages staining the white floor. One of the gates was open.

"I really don't like the look of this," Shuuhei said. The three of them ignored the stairs, jumping from the entrance and landing lightly on the cavern floor. Up close, it was clear that some of the blood stains were a lot fresher than the others.

"Madarame's been here," Kira said, carefully following the trail of blood to the open gate. He paused before the gaping tunnel mouth, peering into the unlit blackness. "He went in here."

"Pursuing something? Or dragged off?" Hinamori frowned into the darkness, her fingers tapping at Tobiume's hilt. "No, it doesn't matter. Either way, we have to follow him."

**o0o**

Renji resisted the urge to snarl at their current guide to hurry up and open the door at the back of the lab already. There was no point in snapping at people just because Kurotsuchi's freaky labs weirded him out and made him all jumpy.

He didn't know why this lab in particular was making him extra jumpy. It wasn't like there were bits of bodies lying around, or even a whole person strapped to a table like there had been in one of them.

Rikichi seemed spooked as well, even though he was trying to hide it. He'd been by Renji's side since they woke up, like a loyal hound waiting for his master's commands. Not that Renji was going to complain about that. He could have worse people than Rikichi treating him like he was the king of the world.

The door hissed open eventually and Renji slid in carefully. Nothing moved and he waved the squad in after him. The room looked almost like a scientist's version of a forge, all sterile and with computers and instruments all around the walls and tables.

Most of the stuff was clustered around a table near the centre of the room, and Renji wandered over to it. There were pieces of black metal scattered over the surface, some with sensors or something attached to them. Renji started to get a sick feeling in his stomach when he saw how much of the metal there was and how some it was shaped.

The sight of the red-link sash and the piece of metal with cloth tailing off hit him like a punch to the gut.

Zabimaru screamed in anger, and Renji's vision washed out in red. Most of the squad backed out of the room or pressed up against the nearest wall as his reiatsu flared out angrily. Renji stood staring at the shattered pieces of Zangetsu, fighting against the rage that told him to charge into Rukongai, track Kurotsuchi down and start smashing until the bastard was dead.

Movement from the back of the lab, where none of his squad had got to, caught Renji's eye and he turned towards it. A small creature, shaped somewhat like an oversized frog, was crouched on one of the other tables. A Hollow mask covered its face and Renji snarled in anger, drawing Zabimaru as it jumped for him.

No, not for him. It leapt onto the table and grabbed one of the pieces of Zangetsu before jumping away again. It barely touched the floor before going airborne again, heading for the door into the main lab, which would lead it to outside. Renji wasn't going to let that happen. He wouldn't let one of Kurotsuchi's freakjobs take him a piece of Zangetsu.

The mini-Hollow jumped again, aiming for the door and freedom. Before Renji could move to intercept it a sword swung up, neatly slicing the beast in half as it leapt straight onto the blade. The piece of Zangetsu fell to the floor as Rikichi smiled sheepishly at Renji.

"Sorry, Abarai-fukutaichou-dono."

"What you apologising for? I wasn't in position to stop it." Renji carefully picked up the piece of metal and placed it back on the table with the rest, just as Zaraki and Byakuya swept in to investigate.

**o0o**

A building shattered in pain and he screamed as it fell. He sat in the eye of the cyclone that was destroying the world with wind and rain. His arms wrapped around himself, he stared blankly at the crumbling world around him.

"Hurt us, king."

The voices were familiar to him, but he didn't know why. He just knew that they were. They weren't like the pain that was destroying him. They felt safe and dangerous all at the same time. Not dangerous to him though. They wouldn't hurt him.

The pain was going away again. He wasn't happy. It would come back. It always would.

He didn't want it to. He screamed again, feeling _something_ respond to the noise. That sometimes made the pain stay so new pain couldn't come. It didn't stop leaving.

"Not the same. Different."

"Her. It's her."

He listened to the voices. They weren't the pain. They were safe.

"Protect her."

"Find us, king. Use us."

He wouldn't let the painmakers hurt her. He had to protect her. He had to help her.

The cyclone tore at him as he stood, the winds whipping his black rags around him. He didn't care. He had to stop the painmakers from hurting her. From hurting him. He took a deep breath and screamed once more, the loudest scream he'd ever made.


End file.
